Valve has done a lot of patching and balancing to Deadlock’s heroes, maps, and items to prepare for the game’s full release. Part of these waves of changes is the new Ranked mode, which gives players a chance to cement their place in the game’s skill bracket. To help create some order in the game, Valve has implemented a few checks and rules for Ranked mode, like time restrictions, rankings per week, and other unexplained rules. We’ll be discussing all the new changes here and how you can climb the ranks in Deadlock.
Ranked Mode Rules and Restrictions
This new ranking system is a different approach from the ones in Valve’s other titles, like CS2 and DOTA 2. First, players are required to finish at least 50 unranked games to unlock the mode. Once unlocked, players must pick a schedule for their ranked matches, respective to the server’s time zone. Players can opt to choose any of the following daily schedules:
- 1-4 pm / 7-10 pm
- 12-3 pm / 6-9 pm
- 11 am-2 pm / 5-8 pm
Players have a total of 6 hours per schedule to climb up or de-rank. Players must stick to their chosen timeslot all week. Changes to your timeslot can only be made at the start of each new week, so be sure to choose wisely.
Players can only enter matches in solo queue, meaning that everyone will be playing with random teams of equal ranking. If, in any case, a player has any behavioral restrictions like a report or text/voice bans, they’ll be unable to join.
In order to reach a new rank, the game requires a minimum of 7 matches to be completed within the week. Deadlock currently doesn’t use a rank point system that changes based on wins and losses; instead, it uses its own algorithm to calculate each player’s true ranking. However, new ranks and medals will be assigned every Tuesdays so that Valve can accurately rank up its competitive pool.
Take note that this mode, much like Deadlock itself, is still in its alpha stage, so be ready for new changes to the system as the game gets more updates.
Deadlock’s New Macrogame Meta
Ranked mode is just one of the changes coming to the game. Besides the new ranking system, Deadlock has also made a lot of character balance changes, and most importantly, macro game changes too. We’ll be diving into all the macro changes in this next section.
Mid-Game Timer
First, the most significant change is the mid-game phase timings. It used to be that the mid-game would occur at the 10-minute mark. That time has now dropped to 8, at which the Spirit Urn, hard jungle camps, and mid-boss will all spawn.
Spirit Urn Changes
With the Spirit Urn, carriers are now revealed to the enemy team and hitting them with a heavy melee forces them to drop it. To compensate for this, the Spirit Urn now also grants the carrier’s team a small Golden Statues stat buff upon delivery and a 15% bonus to the soul bounty.
Guardian Changes
The lane Guardians now take way less damage from Troopers at the start, starting at 70% damage reduction, degrading by 10% every minute up to -30%. Also, players must now be 19 meters near the Guardian to do damage, meaning that staying on the ramp near the Guardians is less viable.
The Guardians will now also deal 20% more damage against players, dissuading any risky tower dives.
Mid-Boss Changes
Previously, the Rejuvenator buff gave a flat Trooper buff and respawn timer reduction regardless of when it was killed. Now, these buffs scale to the number of times the mid-boss dies, meaning that seizing the Rejuvenator buff is less punishing for the opposing team.